JP5306842B2 - Integrated device of gas-liquid separator and diluter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an integrated apparatus in which a gas-liquid separator and a diluter are integrally configured, and in particular, a gas-liquid separator in which a gas-liquid separator and a diluter disposed in a fuel cell system are integrated. And a diluter integrated device.

  Conventionally, in a fuel cell system, a gas-liquid separator is disposed for the purpose of separating moisture contained in exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell from the exhaust gas. There are various types of such gas-liquid separators, and one of them is a cyclonic separator.

  For example, a cylindrical main body portion that is hermetically sealed at the top and bottom, an inlet pipe provided in the vicinity of the cylindrical upper portion of the main body portion and in a tangential direction, and the inner and outer sides of the main body portion at the center of the top plate portion of the main body portion An outlet pipe provided so as to protrude from the main body, a water storage tank part provided at the lower part of the main body part, and a drain pipe provided in the water storage tank part for transferring water to the bottom of the water storage tank part. A cyclone type gas-liquid separator with many ribs to provide resistance is introduced. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  Also, in the fuel cell system, the anode off gas (hydrogen off gas) discharged from the fuel cell is diluted with hydrogen for the purpose of releasing it into the atmosphere after being diluted with the cathode off gas (for example, air) so as to have a sufficiently low hydrogen concentration. A vessel is provided.

  As such a hydrogen diluter, for example, a staying region in which the anode offgas discharged from the fuel cell is retained, and a cathode offgas (air) discharged from the fuel cell is allowed to flow, and the staying region is passed to the cathode offgas. A hydrogen diluter having a dilution region for mixing and diluting the anode off-gas from the residence region and a flow passage for flowing the anode off-gas from the residence region to the dilution region is introduced. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

  An introduction chamber for accumulating anode off gas, a communication passage for communicating the introduction chamber and the cathode off gas flow channel, a communication state of the communication passage is switched, and the purge valve is closed when the valve is opened; and A communication valve that can be opened when the purge valve is closed, and the volume of the introduction chamber is contracted by pressing the introduction chamber from the outside when the communication valve is open. A hydrogen diluter equipped with pressing means is introduced. (For example, refer to Patent Document 3).

  And a residence chamber for retaining the anode off-gas, an anode introduction passage for introducing the anode off-gas to the residence chamber, a cathode introduction passage for introducing the cathode off-gas to the residence chamber, and an off-gas delivery passage for deriving the anode off-gas and the cathode off-gas. And a hydrogen diluter in which the opening of the cathode introduction path and the opening of the off-gas outlet path are substantially opposed to each other, and the openings are arranged close to each other so as to have a gap. (For example, refer to Patent Document 4).

JP 2002-373699 A JP 2003-132915 A JP 2007-80728 A JP 2008-140783 A

  However, the conventional gas-liquid separator as described in Patent Document 1 or the like usually has a structure in which the water distribution pipe is provided in the horizontal direction with respect to the water storage tank portion. For this reason, when a diluter is disposed on the downstream side of the gas-liquid separator, there is a possibility that water may stay in the water distribution pipe. In addition, since the conventional gas-liquid separator has a structure in which water is stored in the water storage tank portion using gravity, if a large amount of water is discharged from the fuel cell, the gas-liquid separation cannot be performed and the water may overflow. There is also. Further, Patent Documents 2 to 4 do not consider the relationship between the gas-liquid separator and the hydrogen diluter.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, can perform gas-liquid separation efficiently, can dilute the gas introduced into the diluter efficiently, and can achieve miniaturization. An object of the present invention is to provide an integrated device of a gas-liquid separator and a diluter.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention is provided with a gas-liquid separator that separates gas and liquid from a mixed fluid of anode off-gas and water discharged from the fuel cell stack, and disposed below the gas-liquid separator. The diluter, the gas-liquid separator, and the diluter communicate with each other, and are arranged at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction, and a communication pipe that introduces at least the liquid contained in the gas-liquid mixed fluid into the diluter. The gas-liquid separator, the diluter, and the communication pipe are integrally configured, and the diluter includes a part of the cathode offgas discharged from the fuel cell stack, and the water. And a part of the anode off gas are introduced, the introduced cathode off gas and the anode off gas are mixed, the mixed gas and the water are discharged, and the cathode off gas not introduced into the extension chamber. Anda cathode off gas passage for discharging to induce the gas-liquid separator is provided an integrated device for a gas-liquid separator and the diluter that is arranged in the cathode off-gas flow channel is there.

  In the gas-liquid separator and diluter integrated device having this configuration, the gas-liquid separator and the diluter disposed below the gas-liquid separator are arranged at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction. Since the liquid separated by the gas-liquid separator is introduced into the diluter through the communication pipe, the liquid is transferred to the diluter using gravity. Can be dropped. For this reason, it can suppress that a liquid retains in a communicating pipe. Further, since the gas-liquid separator and the diluter are integrally configured, it is possible to achieve downsizing.

  Further, the gas-liquid separator and diluter integrated device according to the present invention includes an upper constituent member constituting the upper part of the gas-liquid separator, a lower constituent member constituting the lower part of the diluter, and the upper part. A common member that is located between the constituent member and the lower constituent member, is disposed integrally with the upper constituent member and the lower constituent member, and constitutes the lower part of the gas-liquid separator and the upper part of the diluter; The communication pipe may be formed on the shared member. Thus, since the lower part of the gas-liquid separator and the upper part of the diluter are configured by the shared member, the number of parts can be reduced and the size can be further reduced.

In addition, the gas-liquid separator and diluter integrated device according to the present invention includes a gas-liquid separator that separates gas and liquid from a mixed fluid of anode off-gas and water discharged from the fuel cell stack, The diluter disposed below the gas-liquid separator, the gas-liquid separator and the diluter communicate with each other, and are disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction, and are included in the gas-liquid mixed fluid. with a communicating pipe for introducing at least liquid to the diluter and, said gas-liquid separator, and the diluter, the a communicating pipe integrally configured, before Symbol diluter, from the fuel cell stack Part of the discharged cathode offgas, the water, and part of the anode offgas are introduced, the introduced cathode offgas and anode offgas are mixed, and the mixed gas and the water are discharged. Extension room and said extension room A cathode offgas flow path that guides and discharges the cathode offgas that is not introduced, and the expansion chamber controls at least the flow of the anode offgas at positions upstream and downstream of the introduced cathode offgas. A configuration in which a distribution control member is disposed can be provided.

  With this configuration, a part of the cathode offgas can be introduced into the expansion chamber containing the anode offgas by pressure loss generated in the cathode offgas flow path, and the anode offgas and the cathode offgas are efficiently mixed and diluted with the cathode offgas. The anode off gas can be discharged. In addition, since the diluter disposed integrally with the gas-liquid separator is located at the upper part of the gas-liquid separator, the water introduced into the gas-liquid separator is heated at the high temperature introduced into the diluter. Since it is warmed by the cathode off gas, freezing can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the water stored on the bottom surface of the diluter is also warmed by the hot cathode off gas, freezing can be suppressed. Moreover, even if water is frozen, thawing can be promoted by this cathode off gas. Furthermore, the expansion chamber can be ventilated with cathode off-gas before the next hydrogen purge. The amount of anode off-gas introduced into the expansion chamber, the timing, and the like can be performed by connecting a flow rate adjusting valve, for example.

  In the gas-liquid separator and diluter integrated apparatus according to the present invention, a part of the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell stack can be introduced into the expansion chamber via the communication pipe. .

  Further, the flow control member may have a labyrinth structure. By doing so, the anode off-gas can be reliably held in the expansion chamber, diluted, and discharged. In this configuration, the labyrinth structure can be formed by, for example, a plurality of wall portions extending downward from the lower surface of the shared member. And at least one part of the lower end of the said wall part can also be closely_contact | adhered to the upper surface of the said lower structural member. By doing in this way, the intensity | strength of the integrated apparatus of a gas-liquid separator and a diluter can further be improved.

  Further, the flow control member may be configured by a wall portion that extends downward from the lower surface of the shared member and in which at least one slit is formed. By doing in this way, anode off gas and cathode off gas can be made easier to mix by a jet.

  Furthermore, the expansion chamber is introduced from the flow control member disposed on the downstream side between the flow control member disposed on the downstream side and the side wall defining the downstream side of the expansion chamber. It is possible to have a swirl chamber capable of swirling the mixed gas. By configuring in this way, in addition to the above advantages, mixing of the anode off-gas and the cathode off-gas can be promoted, and the dilution performance of the anode off-gas can be further improved.

  In the gas-liquid separator and diluter integrated device according to the present invention, the gas-liquid separator has a guide portion that is provided in the shared member and guides the flow of the gas-liquid mixed fluid, The guide portion may have a configuration in which at least a part of the upper end is in close contact with the bottom surface of the upper constituent member and at least a part of the lower end is in close contact with the upper surface of the lower constituent member. By comprising in this way, a gas-liquid mixed fluid can be efficiently separated into gas and liquid. In addition, the strength of the integrated apparatus of the gas-liquid separator and the diluter can be further improved by the guide unit.

  Furthermore, in the gas-liquid separator and diluter integrated device according to the present invention, the guide part has a guide wall part disposed substantially horizontally with the introduction direction of the gas-liquid mixed fluid, In the gas-liquid separator, an anode off-gas discharge port for discharging the gas-liquid separated anode off-gas can be formed on the side opposite to the gas-liquid mixed fluid introduction side with the guide wall portion interposed therebetween. By comprising in this way, the said gas-liquid mixed fluid can be guide | induced to a wide space from a narrow space, and a light anode offgas and heavy water can be isolate | separated more efficiently.

  The gas-liquid separator may have a configuration in which the gas-liquid mixed fluid can swivel around the guide portion. By comprising in this way, anode off gas and water can be isolate | separated still more efficiently.

  In addition, by forming a through-hole through which water can flow at the lower end of the guiding portion, the water that has undergone gas-liquid separation can be guided to (through) the communicating pipe through the through-hole. For this reason, drainage can be further improved.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently perform gas-liquid separation and to efficiently dilute the gas introduced into the diluter, and to achieve downsizing. A body type device can be provided.

It is a perspective view of the integrated apparatus of the gas-liquid separator and diluter which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the integrated apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view of the integrated apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the shared member shown in FIG. 2 as seen through the bottom surface from the top surface side. It is sectional drawing along the VV line shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the VI-VI line shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of a fuel cell stack to which the integrated device shown in FIG. 1 is connected. It is a perspective view which shows the state which connected a part of integrated device shown in FIG. 1 to the fuel cell stack shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing in alignment with the IX-IX line shown in FIG. 10 of the flow control member which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing along the XX line shown in FIG.

  Next, an integrated apparatus of a gas-liquid separator and a diluter according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, embodiment described below is the illustration for demonstrating this invention, and this invention is not limited only to these embodiment. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof.

  1 is a perspective view of an integrated apparatus of a gas-liquid separator and a diluter according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the integrated apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the shared member shown in FIG. 2 as seen through the bottom surface from the top surface side, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a part of the fuel cell stack to which the integrated device shown in FIG. 1 is connected, and FIG. 8 is an integrated type shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which connected a part of apparatus to the fuel cell stack shown in FIG. In the drawings, for easy understanding, the thickness, size, enlargement / reduction ratio, and the like of each member are not matched with the actual ones.

  In the present embodiment, an integrated apparatus in which a gas-liquid separator and a diluter disposed in a fuel cell system are integrated will be described. Further, in the present embodiment, when the integrated device is connected to the fuel cell stack, the surface facing the fuel cell stack of the integrated device is defined as “rear” or “rear” and rear The front surface is referred to as “front surface” or “front”, the right side toward the front surface is described as “right”, and the left side is described as “left”.

  As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, the integrated apparatus 1 in which the gas-liquid separator 10 and the diluter 20 according to the present embodiment are integrally configured constitutes the upper part of the gas-liquid separator 10. The upper component member 11, the lower component member 21 that forms the lower part of the diluter 20, and the upper component member 11 and the lower component member 21, are integrated with the upper component member 11 and the lower component member 21. The shared member 50 is provided. That is, the gas-liquid separator 10 is configured by the upper component member 11 and the upper surface of the shared member 50 facing the upper component member 11, and the diluter 20 is configured by the lower surface of the shared member 50 and the lower component member 21. It is configured.

  The upper component member 11 includes a substantially horizontal plate portion 12 and a dome portion 13 that is continuously formed on the plate portion 12 and protrudes upward from the plate portion 12 in a substantially dome shape.

  A gas-liquid mixed fluid containing hydrogen off-gas (anode off-gas) and water is connected to a hydrogen discharge port 101 (see FIG. 7) of the fuel cell stack 100 on the right side rear surface of the dome portion 13. A gas-liquid mixed fluid introduction port 14 to be introduced into the separator 10 is formed. A hydrogen off-gas discharge port 15 through which the hydrogen off-gas separated in the gas-liquid separator 10 is discharged is opened on the upper surface slightly to the left of the center of the dome portion 13. The hydrogen offgas discharge port 15 is connected to a hydrogen introduction port 102 (see FIG. 7) of the fuel cell stack 100 (the connection state is not shown), and the hydrogen offgas discharged from the hydrogen offgas discharge port 15 is hydrogen It is returned to the fuel cell stack 100 from the introduction port 102 and used again as the anode gas. In addition, on both sides in the front-rear direction of the hydrogen off-gas discharge port 15 on the upper surface of the dome portion 13, screws that overlap with screw holes 55 and 56 formed on the upper surface of the guide portion 51 provided in the shared member 50 described in detail later. Holes 16 and 17 are respectively formed. Further, on the left side of the plate portion 12, a hole 18 in which a flow rate adjusting valve is provided.

  In the shared member 50, the substantially right half of the upper surface is a gas-liquid separator constituting region constituting the lower part of the gas-liquid separator 10. A concave portion 60 that is recessed downward is formed on the left side of the upper surface of the shared member 50, and the gas-liquid separator 10 and the diluter 20 are communicated with each other at a substantially central portion of the concave portion 60. An opening of a communication pipe 61 is formed through which water separated from the gas-liquid mixed fluid by the separator 10 is introduced into the diluter 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication pipe 61 extends downward from the bottom surface of the recess 60. That is, the communication pipe 61 can flow (drop) the water separated from the gas-liquid mixed fluid in a substantially vertical direction, so that gravity can be used when discharging the water. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the liquid from staying in the communication pipe 61.

  On the right side of the upper surface of the shared member 50, a guide unit 51 that guides the flow of the gas-liquid mixed fluid so that the gas-liquid mixed fluid introduced from the gas-liquid mixed fluid inlet 14 swirls in the gas-liquid separator 10. Is arranged. The guiding portion 51 is continuously provided on both sides of the guiding wall portion 52 in the front-rear direction and the guiding wall portion 52 disposed substantially horizontally with the introduction direction of the gas-liquid mixed fluid introduced from the gas-liquid mixed fluid introduction port 14. Cylindrical portions 53 and 54 having a substantially cylindrical shape are formed.

  Screw holes 55 and 56 are formed on the upper surfaces of the cylindrical portions 53 and 54, and these screw holes 55 and 56 are formed when the upper component member 11 is placed on the shared member 50. The screw holes 16 and 17 are formed at positions overlapping with each other. Screws (not shown) for fixing the upper component member 11 and the shared member 50 are screwed into the screw holes 16 and 55 and the screw holes 17 and 56. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper ends of these cylindrical portions 53 and 54 are welded to the lower surface of the upper component member 11, and the lower ends extend downward through the shared member 50, and the upper surface of the lower component member 21. It is welded to. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide wall portion 52 is located on the right side of the hydrogen offgas discharge port 15 when the upper component member 11 is placed on the shared member 50, and thereby the hydrogen offgas discharge port. 15 is located on the opposite side of the gas-liquid mixed fluid inlet 14 with the guide wall 52 interposed therebetween. The upper end of the guide wall portion 52 is welded to the lower surface of the upper component member 11. As described above, the upper ends of the cylindrical portions 53 and 54 and the upper end of the guide wall portion 52 are welded to the lower surface of the upper component member 11, and the lower ends of the cylindrical portions 53 and 54 are welded to the upper surface of the lower component member 21. The parts 53 and 54 and the guide wall part 52 serve as a reinforcing member, and the strength of the integrated device 1 can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the gas-liquid separator 10 is positioned in the left-right direction of the guide portion 51 rather than the gap formed by the surface positioned in the front-rear direction of the guide portion 51 and the inner wall of the dome portion 13. The gap formed by the surface and the inner wall of the dome portion 13 is configured wider. Therefore, the gas-liquid mixed fluid introduced from the gas-liquid mixed fluid introduction port 14 passes through a narrow gap formed by the front side surface of the guiding portion 51 and the inner wall of the dome portion 13 and then the left side surface of the guiding portion 51 and the dome. Since it flows in the wide space which the inner wall of the part 13 comprises, light hydrogen and heavy water can be isolate | separated efficiently. Further, the gas-liquid mixed fluid containing water that has not been separated here moves further through a narrow gap formed by the rear side surface of the guiding portion 51 and the inner wall of the dome portion 13, and further swirls around the guiding portion 51. The water that has not been separated earlier can be circulated, whereby the water that has not been separated earlier can be separated from the gas-liquid mixed fluid, and the water can be prevented from being rolled up. Then, the water is introduced into the diluter 20 from the recess 60 through the communication pipe 61. At this time, the hydrogen off-gas that has not been separated from the gas-liquid mixed fluid is introduced into the diluter 20 through the communication pipe 61 together with the water. On the other hand, the gas-liquid separated light hydrogen off-gas moves upward, is efficiently discharged from the hydrogen off-gas discharge port 15, and is returned to the fuel cell stack 100.

  Further, on the left side of the shared member 50, there is an air off gas inlet 71 connected to the air off gas outlet 103 (see FIG. 7) of the fuel cell stack 100 and introducing the air off gas discharged from the air off gas outlet 103 into the diluter 20. It is open. The air off gas inlet 71 is connected to the air off gas outlet 103 by a pipe 105 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 106 denotes an air introduction port, 107 denotes a cooling water discharge port, and 108 denotes a cooling water introduction port.

  The lower surface of the shared member 50 is a diluter configuration region that forms the upper portion of the diluter 20. The diluter 20 has an air-off gas flow path 62 that allows the air-off gas introduced from the air-off gas introduction port 71 to flow toward the fluid discharge port 70 formed on the right end surface of the lower component 21 that will be described in detail later. An expansion chamber 63 is provided for diluting the hydrogen off-gas introduced together with water. As shown in FIG. 4, a separation wall 65 for separating the air-off gas flow path 62 and the expansion chamber 63 extends downward on the lower surface of the shared member 50, and the lower end of the separation wall 65 Is welded to the upper surface of the lower component 21.

  An air-off gas introduction port 71 is located on the upper left side of the air-off gas flow path 62, and dilution air introduction for introducing a part of the air-off gas into the expansion chamber 63 is provided near the air-off gas introduction port 71 of the separation wall 65. A mouth 66 is formed. Further, a discharge port 67 for discharging the fluid in the expansion chamber 63 to the air-off gas channel 62 is formed in the vicinity of the fluid discharge port 70 of the separation wall 65.

  As a flow control member for suppressing (controlling) hydrogen off-gas introduced into the expansion chamber 63 from flowing out of the dilution air introduction port 66 into the air-off gas channel 62 on the dilution air introduction port 66 side of the expansion chamber 63. The labyrinth structure is formed. This labyrinth structure is composed of a plurality of (five in the present embodiment) wall portions 68 and 69 extending downward from the lower surface of the shared member 50 at a predetermined interval. That is, in this labyrinth structure, one end is continuously formed on the separation wall 65, the other end is formed with a gap from the rear end of the common member 50, and one end is the rear of the common member 50. It is configured by alternately forming a separation wall 65 and a wall 69 formed with a gap at the other end, which are continuously formed at the side end. The lower ends of these wall portions 68 and 69 are welded to the upper surface of the lower component 21.

  Further, one end is continuous with the rear end of the shared member 50 between the position where the communication pipe 61 on the lower surface of the shared member 50 is disposed and the position where the cylindrical portions 53 and 54 are disposed. A wall portion 73 that is formed and has the other end formed with a gap from the separation wall 65 is formed downward. Further, a wall portion 74 that connects the cylindrical portions 53 and 54 in the front-rear direction is formed on the lower surface of the shared member 50 so as to face downward. In addition, a wall portion 75 that connects the cylindrical portion 53 and the separation wall 65 in the front-rear direction is formed on the lower surface of the shared member 50 so as to face downward. The wall portion 74 is continuously formed on the cylindrical portions 53 and 54, and the wall portion 75 is continuously formed on the cylindrical portion 53 and the separation wall 65. Further, the lower ends of these wall portions 73, 74 and 75 are welded to the upper surface of the lower component member 21.

  In addition, since the wall parts 68, 69, and 73-75 are welded to the upper surface of the lower structural member 21, it can play the role of a reinforcing member and can improve the intensity | strength of the integrated apparatus 1. FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a labyrinth structure is formed by the wall portion 73 and the portion including the cylindrical portion 54, the wall portion 74, the cylindrical portion 53 and the wall portion 75. This labyrinth structure serves as a flow control member that controls the flow of fluid so that hydrogen off gas diluted with air off gas in the expansion chamber 63 is gradually discharged from the discharge port 67.

  Further, the right rear portion of the expansion chamber 63 protrudes toward the right side, and the space formed by the protrusion swirls the fluid that passes between the cylindrical portion 54 and the inner wall of the expansion chamber 63 toward the discharge port 67. A possible swirl chamber 77 is formed. The hydrogen off-gas and air off-gas that have reached the swirl chamber 77 are now swirled, and the hydrogen off-gas is more efficiently diluted by the air off-gas.

  On the right side wall of the lower component member 21, a fluid discharge port 70 is opened to discharge the fluid (air off gas, hydrogen off gas diluted with air off gas, water, etc.) that has passed through the diluter 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower component member 21 has a large bottom area, so that the water guided from the communication pipe 61 into the diluter 20 has a large area at the bottom of the lower component member 21. It will be stored shallow.

  The upper component member 11, the shared member 50, and the lower component member 21 having these configurations are integrally fixed by fastening members such as screws, bolts and nuts, for example, and the gas-liquid separator 10, the diluter 20, Constitutes an integrated apparatus 1 integrally formed. As described above, the gas-liquid separator 10 and the diluter 20 are integrally configured, so that downsizing can be achieved.

  Next, a specific operation of the integrated apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described.

  When an anode gas (fuel gas: hydrogen) and a cathode gas (oxidizing gas: air) are supplied to the fuel cell stack 100 and an electric reaction is started, hydrogen off-gas and water are discharged from the hydrogen discharge port 101 of the fuel cell stack 100. The gas-liquid mixed fluid is discharged, and this gas-liquid mixed fluid is introduced into the gas-liquid separator 10 from the gas-liquid mixed fluid introduction port 14. The gas-liquid mixed fluid introduced into the gas-liquid separator 10 passes through a narrow gap formed by the front side surface of the guiding portion 51 and the inner wall of the dome portion 13, and the left side surface of the guiding portion 51 and the inner wall of the dome portion 13. It flows into the wide space that consists of and efficiently separates light hydrogen and heavy water by the cyclone effect. The gas-liquid separated hydrogen moves upward, is efficiently discharged from the hydrogen off-gas discharge port 15, and is returned into the fuel cell stack 100. On the other hand, water that has been gas-liquid separated and hydrogen off-gas that has not been gas-liquid separated are introduced into the diluter 20 via the communication pipe 61, and the water is stored on the bottom surface of the lower component 21. At this time, the communication pipe 61 is opened in the up-down direction, and the water falls due to gravity, so that it is possible to prevent water from stagnation in the communication pipe 61.

  On the other hand, the air off gas discharged from the air off gas discharge port 103 of the fuel cell stack 100 is introduced from the air off gas introduction port 71 to the upstream side of the air off gas flow path 62 of the diluter 20. Here, due to the pressure loss generated in the air-off gas flow path 62, a part of the air-off gas is introduced into the expansion chamber 63 from the dilution air introduction port 66 through the labyrinth structure formed by the walls 68 and 69. The air off gas introduced into the expansion chamber 63 is mixed with the hydrogen off gas introduced into the diluter 20 through the communication pipe 61 to dilute the hydrogen off gas. The mixed fluid (air off gas and diluted hydrogen off gas) passes through the labyrinth structure constituted by the wall portion 73 and the cylindrical portion 54, the wall portion 74, the cylindrical portion 53, and the wall portion 75. 77, and is discharged from the discharge port 67 to the downstream side of the air-off gas passage 62. Note that the labyrinth structure disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the expansion chamber 63 allows the expansion chamber 63 to efficiently hold the hydrogen off-gas, dilute by mixing with the air-off gas, and discharge even in a space-saving manner. Can be made.

  Further, the air-off gas that has not been introduced into the expansion chamber 63 flows through the air-off gas passage 62 toward the fluid discharge port 70 (downstream side), and is discharged from the fluid discharge port 70 together with the fluid discharged from the discharge port 67. The

  Here, since the gas-liquid separator 10 is disposed on the air-off gas flow path 62 through which the warm air-off gas that has passed through the fuel cell stack 100 flows, the gas-liquid separator 10 has an effect of thawing water frozen in the gas-liquid separator 10. Can be made. In addition, since the water stored in the diluter 20 is stored shallowly in a large area, it can be easily thawed even if it is frozen, and the thawing time can be shortened.

  In addition, after the air off gas and the diluted hydrogen off gas are discharged from the discharge port 67, the inside of the expansion chamber 63 can be ventilated with the air off gas before the next hydrogen purge to prepare for the next hydrogen purge.

  In addition, in this Embodiment, although the case where the lower end of wall part 68, 69, 73-75 was welded to the upper surface of the lower structural member 21 was demonstrated, not only this but wall part 68, 69, 73-75 The lower end may be in close contact with the upper surface of the lower component 21 without being welded. Further, a drainage through hole through which water can flow may be formed between a part of the lower ends of the walls 68, 69 and 73 to 75 and the upper surface of the lower component 21. By doing in this way, water can be efficiently moved to the fluid discharge port 70 through the drainage through-hole, and drainage performance can be improved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the labyrinth structure is provided as the flow control member has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as the flow control member, for example, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. One end is formed continuously at the rear end of the shared member 50 and the other end is formed continuously at the separation wall 65 at a position on the upstream side and / or downstream side of the first member, forming a wall portion 88 extending in the front-rear direction. At least one slit 89 may be formed in the wall portion 88, and a jet may be generated by the air off gas that has passed through the slit 89 and moved downstream, and mixed with the hydrogen off gas. The wall portion 88 may extend from the lower surface of the shared member 50, and the lower end may be welded to the upper surface of the lower component member 21. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX shown in FIG. 10, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the separation wall 65 and the wall portions 68, 69, and 73 to 75 have been described as extending from the lower surface of the shared member 50. 68, 69, and 73 to 75 may be arranged by different methods, for example, standing from the upper surface of the lower component 21. In addition, the number of wall portions for forming the labyrinth structure can be determined as desired.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the case where the communication pipe 61 is disposed in a substantially vertical direction has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the communication pipe 61 introduces water into the diluter 20 using gravity. If possible, it may be disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Integrated apparatus, 10 ... Gas-liquid separator, 11 ... Upper structural member, 14 ... Gas-liquid mixed fluid introduction port, 15 ... Hydrogen off-gas discharge port, 20 ... Diluter, 21 ... Lower structural member, 50 ... Shared member , 51 ... Induction section, 61 ... Communication pipe, 62 ... Air off gas flow path, 63 ... Expansion chamber, 65 ... Separation wall, 70 ... Fluid discharge port, 71 ... Air off gas introduction port, 77 ... Swivel chamber, 100 ... Fuel cell stack

Claims (13)

A gas-liquid separator for separating gas and liquid from a mixed fluid of anode off-gas and water discharged from the fuel cell stack ;
A diluter disposed below the gas-liquid separator;
A communication pipe that communicates the gas-liquid separator and the diluter, is disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal direction, and introduces at least a liquid contained in the gas-liquid mixed fluid into the diluter;
With
The gas-liquid separator, the diluter, and the communication pipe are integrally configured ,
The diluter is
A portion of the cathode offgas discharged from the fuel cell stack, the water, and a portion of the anode offgas are introduced, and the introduced cathode offgas and anode offgas are mixed, and the mixed gas and An expansion chamber for discharging the water;
A cathode offgas passage for guiding and discharging the cathode offgas not introduced into the expansion chamber;
Have
The gas-liquid separator is an integrated device of a gas-liquid separator and a diluter disposed on the cathode off-gas channel . An upper component constituting the upper part of the gas-liquid separator;
A lower component constituting the lower part of the diluter;
A common component that is located between the upper component member and the lower component member and is disposed integrally with the upper component member and the lower component member, and constitutes the lower part of the gas-liquid separator and the upper part of the diluter. Members,
With
The integrated apparatus of a gas-liquid separator and a diluter according to claim 1, wherein the communication pipe is formed on the shared member. A gas-liquid separator for separating gas and liquid from a mixed fluid of anode off-gas and water discharged from the fuel cell stack;
A diluter disposed below the gas-liquid separator;
A communication pipe that communicates the gas-liquid separator and the diluter, is disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal direction, and introduces at least a liquid contained in the gas-liquid mixed fluid into the diluter;
With
The gas-liquid separator, the diluter, and the communication pipe are integrally configured,
Before Symbol dilution device,
A portion of the cathode offgas discharged from the fuel cell stack, the water, and a portion of the anode offgas are introduced, and the introduced cathode offgas and anode offgas are mixed, and the mixed gas and An expansion chamber for discharging the water;
A cathode offgas passage for guiding and discharging the cathode offgas not introduced into the expansion chamber;
Have
The expansion chamber, the upstream and the downstream position of the introduced cathode off-gas, one with diluter at least the gas-liquid separator flow control member for controlling the flow of the anode off-gas is ing disposed Body shape device.   The gas / liquid separator and diluter integrated apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a part of the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell stack is introduced into the expansion chamber via the communication pipe.   The said flow control member is an integrated apparatus of the gas-liquid separator and diluter of Claim 3 or Claim 4 which consists of a labyrinth structure.   The said labyrinth structure is an integrated apparatus of the gas-liquid separator and diluter of Claim 5 which consists of a several wall part extended toward the downward direction from the lower surface of the said shared member.   The gas-liquid separator and diluter integrated apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least a part of the lower end of the wall portion is in close contact with the upper surface of the lower component member.   5. The gas-liquid separator and diluter according to claim 3, wherein the flow control member includes a wall portion extending downward from a lower surface of the shared member and having at least one slit formed therein. Integrated device with.   The expansion chamber is a mixed gas introduced from the flow control member disposed on the downstream side between the flow control member disposed on the downstream side and the side wall defining the downstream side of the expansion chamber. An integrated apparatus of a gas-liquid separator and a diluter according to any one of claims 3 to 8, further comprising a swirl chamber capable of swirling the gas. The gas-liquid separator has a guide portion that is provided on the shared member and guides the flow of the gas-liquid mixed fluid,
10. The guide unit according to claim 3, wherein at least a part of an upper end of the guide part is in close contact with a bottom surface of the upper constituent member, and at least a part of the lower end is in close contact with an upper surface of the lower constituent member. An integrated apparatus of the gas-liquid separator and the diluter according to one item.   The guide portion has a guide wall portion disposed substantially horizontally with the introduction direction of the gas-liquid mixed fluid, and the gas-liquid separator is disposed between the gas-liquid mixed fluid introduction side with the guide wall portion interposed therebetween. The gas-liquid separator and diluter integrated apparatus according to claim 10, wherein an anode gas discharge port for discharging the separated anode gas is formed on the opposite side.   12. The gas-liquid separator and diluter integrated device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the gas-liquid mixed fluid is capable of swiveling around the guiding portion.   The integrated apparatus of the gas-liquid separator and the diluter according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein a through-hole through which water can flow is formed at a lower end of the guide portion.

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